These Are The Days We Will Remember
by Knights-Honour
Summary: Tea attends her Year 12 Formal with a certain Pharaoh. CHAP 3 NOW UP!
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** These Are The Days We Will Remember

**Author:** Knights-Honour

**Summary:**

Tea attends her Year 12 Formal with a certain once-Pharaoh.

**Disclaimer:**

"Yu-Gi-Oh" and related characters © Kazuki Takahashi

**Author's Note:**

I was inspired to write this story after I saw a beautiful piece of fanart on DeviantArt by Yamigirl21 of Yami and Tea in evening wear.

So sit back, relax and enjoy the story...

**Chapter 1 – **_**As Days Go By**_

"All right class. Settle down, settle down," Mr Hiro called to his English students.

The majority of the rowdy group of teens did as instructed, but two bickering voices could still be heard in the classroom.

"I am not!"

"Ya are so, you big doofus!"

"I am-"

"That applies to you too, Mr Taylor and Mr Wheeler. Or do I need to put you two in detention this afternoon?" Mr Hiro queried the two bickering boys.

"No, sir," The two teens quickly replied as they settled in for the lesson.

From her place, two seats up from where her bickering friends sat, a seventeen year old Tea Gardner rolled her eyes at her friends' antics.

'_Leave it to Joey and Tristan to make a scene in the last class of the day,_' she thought wryly.

That was very reason was why she'd chosen her current seating arrangement; so that she could pay attention to the lesson without being distracted.

But while that was a blessing in one form, it was a curse in another. Because now she was seated away from her other two friends, Atem and Yugi Motou.

'_And speaking of the Pharaoh._'

Glancing back to the seats where here four friends were sitting, her azure eyes met Atem's deep-amethyst ones as he nodded his head in greeting to her. She, in turn, smiled broadly at him before returning her head to the blackboard and her undivided attention to Mr Hiro.

But even as she copied down the notes, Tea couldn't keep the cloud of euphoria that had taken over her system at bay. But she wasn't the only one, many of her fellow female students were fidgety and restless in their seats, more than ready for the day's teachings to be over.

'_The Formals really gotten into everyone's systems,_' Tea mused, '_even the guys are looking forward to tomorrow night._'

There had even been a few rumours flying around that some of the boys had been taking professional dance lessons so that they wouldn't disappoint their respective dates.

She would be going with a certain Egyptian.

'_We've really been through a lot these past couple of years,_' she mused again.

She couldn't help but remember the day Atem had returned to their number, on the very day they'd thought he'd left them forever.

_The Ceremonial Battle was over, Yugi had won. _

_And Atem was now walking away from them, towards the gate to the Afterlife._

_Tea watched him go, tears brimming in her eyes. _

_She wanted to call out to him, to tell him not to go, to stay with them, with _her_. But every time she opened her mouth to speak, the words choked in her throat._

_Then a bright light blinded the group as the gate closed shut. _

_He was gone._

_Tea stood, staring at the gate, tears running down her face, as she processed that reality._

_Then the tomb began to rumble._

"_We gotta get out of here!" Yugi called to his friends._

"_Lead the way, Yug'."_

_But Tea remained frozen in place._

"_Tea, let's go!" Tristan called to her as he came up behind her and forced her to get moving._

She remembered how the pain of the loss had ripped through her as her heart had shattered. Of how she'd mourned the fact that the brave Pharaoh would never know how much she cared about him...

...not knowing that on the other side of the gate, he was feeling the same away about them.

_Atem paused, looking back at the closed gate, as he felt his own heart ache._

_He had been raised in the ancient world, but he realised that his home was in the modern one with Yugi and all of his friends._

"_Osiris," he called out to the Egyptian God of the dead._

"_Yes, my Pharaoh?"_

"_I beseech thee; Can I return to the land of the living?"_

"_If you wish it."_

"_I do. I realise now, my place, my _home_ is with them."_

"_As you wish, my Pharaoh."_

As the gang had fled from the tomb, Tea had fallen behind.

Then, all of a sudden, the ground had lurched violently beneath her feet causing her to lose her footing as the ceiling had begun to collapse, with her directly beneath it.

_Tea cringed, tucking herself in to a ball, her life flashing before her eyes as she braced herself for the impact._

_There was no way she could survive this._

_And then, from out of nowhere, two strong arms scooped her up and carried her safely out of the danger zone._

_When she dared to open her eyes moments after hearing the deafening smash, she could scarcely believe what she saw._

_It was him._

"_A-Atem?"_

"_Are you alright?" he queried, his eyes full of concern for her as he gently put her back on her feet._

"_Y-yes. But... how? We all saw y-"_

"_I'll explain it all later. Right now, we need to get out of here."_

He'd guided her safely out of the tomb just before it had collapsed.

When the dust had settled, the entire group could do nothing but stare at the Pharaoh, dumbstruck and speechless at his presence among them. On the helicopter ride home, courtesy of Kaiba, he'd told them of his decision, and had found himself in the middle of an emotion-filled group hug when he'd finished speaking.

Atem had adapted to his new life in the modern world with the help of the gang, including enrolling in Domino High School to update his education, surprisingly well.

But in the midst of all of the excitement, Tea hadn't failed to notice that Atem had shown no inclination of affection towards her beyond friendship. So, unwilling to lose that morsel of his attention, she had squashed her romantic feelings for him out of her mind.

But all that had changed last Christmas.

On a suggestion from Yugi, Atem had come over to her house in order to learn more about the modern celebration.

Upon arrival, he'd spotted a sprig of mistletoe hanging in the entry doorframe. Intrigued by the plant, he'd queried her about it, and, thinking nothing of it, Tea had explained its traditions to him.

The rest of the day had been spent baking her renowned Christmas cookies and decorating the house.

All too soon, their time together had come to an end.

They were just saying their good-byes at the front door when it had happened.

She had been standing **right** under the mistletoe, without even _realising_ it.

When he'd pointed that fact out to her, she'd stumbled over her words as she'd told him that she didn't expect him to actually fulfil the tradition.

But then he'd silenced her with a finger on her lips, his eyes revealing the extent of his feelings for her before he'd spoken.

"_I am Pharaoh, the son of Ra. My upbringing was steeped in tradition," he told her softly, "So… who am I to be the one to break it?"_

_Tea's eyes widened in wonder as she felt her face being tilted upward, his strong fingers curling under her chin and into her hair as he drew closer to her, ever-so-close, until she felt his breath upon her lips, and finally the heady press of warm, soft flesh against them._

She'd simply melted into his arms. Couldn't help herself to do anything else _but_.

His kiss had been so tender, so gentle; his lips were like soft velvet as they'd caressed her mouth for long, slow moments.

And so, shortly after Christmas, Atem, after seeking her mother's blessing, had started to court her. Now Tea was hard pressed to remember a time when she'd felt more complete then she did right at this moment.

Then, two months ago, when the details about Formal had been finalized, both had immediately known who their respective partner would be.

"Miss Gardner?"

Tea snapped back into reality, and found Mr Hiro looking at her expectantly.

"Yes, sir?"

"Care to answer the question?"

Tea flinched, "I-I'm afraid I didn't hear it, sir."

"Indeed," the English teacher replied, his disappointment toward her lack of focus evident in his voice.

The entire class just gaped at her; it was a _very_ rare thing for Tea to let her mind drift during a lesson.

Mr Hiro's attention shifted to someone behind her, "Yes, Mr Motou?"

"I believe the answer would be; a hyperbole," came Atem's voice.

"Correct. Now..."

After that, Tea kept her mind on the firmly on the lesson.

She couldn't afford to let her grades slip, she reminded herself. Not when a dance scholarship to a top class dance school in New York was at stake.

When class had finished, Tea wrote down the weekend's homework before packing her gear into her backpack and shouldering it as she headed out into the hallway.

"Tea!"

She stopped and looked back as Atem caught up to her, his concern for her evident in his eyes.

"Are you alright?"

"Of course."

"Then what was that..." he nodded his head in the direction of the classroom that they'd just left, referring to what had occurred during the lesson, "...all about?"

"I was just thinking... remembering..."

Atem smiled warmly as he caught the drift of what her thoughts had been about and he understood completely. His life had been a literal whirlwind since he'd returned to the modern world, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

"You are sure that you're alright?" he queried again.

"Positive."

"Very well," he relented as they continued on, side by side, through the corridors.

"How were your classes today?" she queried him.

"Good. Yours?"

"Ditto."

"It's hard to believe that our final exams are only a month away."

"I know. Then it's 'Hello big wide world, here we come!'"

Atem chuckled at Tea's enthusiasm as Yugi, Joey and Tristan caught up with the couple as they exited the school building.

"Please don't talk 'bout the exams, Tea. I already got a headache!" Joey grumbled, "What kinda teacher would set homework on the weekend of the Formal?"

"One that's trying to make sure that we pass them?" Yugi questioned in a helpful voice.

Joey turned to look at the younger of the two Motou brothers.

"Not you too Yug'?!" the dirty blonde haired teen admonished his best friend.

"Sorry, Joey" Yugi replied with a guilty grin.

'_Yugi has really changed over the past few years,_' Tea mused to herself.

The most noticeable, of course, was his height, though he still wasn't _as_ tall as Atem, who stood just a slight taller than her.

The girls had really started swoon over him during the past few months.

But their attention seeking around him was all in vain because Yugi and Rebecca Hawkins had started dating.

The five friends had reached the main gate when Yugi suddenly remembered something and spoke up.

"I almost forgot to tell you, Tea. We're having a duelling tournament tomorrow, just the five of us, for fun. You interested?" the tri-colour haired youth queried her.

Tea brightened and she responded automatically, "I'd love to Yugi!"

In the peaceful years that had past, Atem had been helping her hone her duelling skills. Though she wasn't tournament level, she was now more than happy to compete against her friends in such competitions, which included Mai and the two Kaiba brothers from time to time.

Tea's disposition fell however, when she remembered that she already had a commitment tomorrow, "But, I can't. I've got work tomorrow."

"Oh... well, that's okay. Maybe another time?"

"You can count on it," she assured him as she turned to head for home, but paused when she heard Atem call out;

"Wait a moment, Tea, I wish to speak with you. Yugi, you go on, I'll see you at home"

"Alright. Bye Tea, see you tomorrow night."

"Yeah, see ya Tea"

"Bye, Tea"

"Bye, guys. Looking forward to seeing you all handsome-like in your Formal wear" she grinningly called after the three boys.

"_Tea!_"

Tea laughed at the boy's reactions to her comment as she turned her attention back to Atem.

"Yes, my Pharaoh?" she murmured his title with an endearing tone as he drew closer, pulling her into his embrace and nuzzling the sensitive skin below her ear, drawing a shuddering breath from her before he claimed her lips in a slow, savouring kiss.

When they parted, she breathed out shakily, "Not that I'm complaining or anything, but what was that all about?"

"I just realised that I haven't kissed you today," he replied, matter-of-factly.

Tea just laughed as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Trust Atem.

"Still no hint as to what you're wearing tomorrow night?" he questioned.

Smiling against his shoulder, Tea raised her head to look at him. For weeks now he'd been trying to pry the details about her Formal dress out of her. But she'd remained adamant in her decision to only reveal it to him on the night.

Until now, at least.

She knew that she'd have to relent and give her beau _some_ information so that he could pick out a corset for her.

"It's red," she stated.

Atem's eyes gleamed with his victory, nuzzling her neck again as he spoke, "See, that wasn't too hard, now, was it?" he purred into her ear, rewarding her with another passionate kiss.

Tea felt her arousal beginning to pool in her core, and she closed her eyes as he began to stroke her back, adding to the sensations he had already caused.

They had not yet taken that step in their relationship, but Tea knew, without a doubt, that when it did happen, it would be a special and memorable night.

Returning her thoughts to the present, she found Atem gently cradling her in his arms, "Back with me?"

"Mmmhmm."

As Atem let go of her, Tea stepped back and smiled up at him before taking his hand in hers as they began to walk home.

"What time do you want me to pick you up?" Atem queried Tea as they drew level with her house.

"The best time, I think, would be around seven," Tea replied as they stopped at her front gate.

"Very well, I shall see you then," he replied as he gave her a fleeting kiss on the cheek before he continued on his way to the Kame Game shop.

"Good luck tomorrow!" she called out after him on an afterthought.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Atem gave her a thumbs-up in return.

—o—o—o—o—o—o—

_**The next day...**_

"Mom, I'm home!" Tea called out as she shut the front door behind her.

"How was work?"

Tea let out a huffed breath in answer.

"Rough shift?"

"The shift was just fine. But Derek didn't turn up to take over, so I couldn't leave when I was supposed to!"

Normally, she wouldn't complain at the extra work, as all the pay she earned from work went into her dancing fund so that she could get set up when she landed in New York. She was well known in her workplace for being honest, reliable and hard-working when she was on the clock.

A thing that she had learned from her mother's example.

But knowing that the Formal fell on one of her work days, she had asked her boss weeks ago if she could finish up early that particular day so that she would have plenty of time to go home and get ready for the dance, and he had happily agreed, arranging for someone to do the rest of her shift.

But today, just as she had been packing up to go, the call of Derek's non-appearance had come through to her, and, reminding herself through the fury that had been boiling through her body, that she _needed_ the money, she'd agreed to stay on and finish the rest of the shift.

Which meant that she now had barely an hour to get ready before Atem arrived to pick her up.

Dianna Gardner approached her daughter as she kicked off her boots, "Don't worry, we'll have you ready in time. You hit the shower, and I'll have everything ready for you when you get out."

Tea smiled appreciatively at her mother as she wrapped her in a hug, "Thanks, Mom."

Dianna returned the hug for a moment before drawing back and nudging her only child in the direction of the bathroom, "Shoo, or that young man of yours will be here!"

"I'm going! I'm going!" Tea laughed and disappeared into the bathroom.

Dianna turned and headed up the stairs and into Tea's room to locate and set up the makeup that she would need for this evening and placed them out on the dressing room table. Turning to the wardrobe, Dianna opened the door, sliding her child's clothes along the rack until she had located the dress. Dianna carefully pulled the frock from the rack before laying the red dress on her daughter's bed.

Tea had found it whist out on a shopping trip with Mai Valentine.

Although Dianna hadn't said anything to her daughter prior to her going out that day, she'd been a little apprehensive about what Tea would pick whilst under the guidance of the elder girl.

Dianna liked Mai, without a doubt, but the way the blonde dressed herself at times often caused the mother to raise her eyebrows.

However, her trust in her daughter had paid off when she'd returned home at the end of the day not only with the beautiful dress that was laid out before her, but a few accessories to go with it as well.

Dianna was extremely proud of the responsible, caring and independent young woman that Tea had become.

Being a single mother in those early years had been a difficult task, she had often had to sacrifice things in her own life so that Tea could attend pre-school and primary school. But once Tea had been old enough to get a job of her own she had done so, albeit sometimes under deception, and had started splitting her pay; half went towards helping her mother with the running of the house and the other half for herself. Then, of course, when her dream of being a dancer had been born, Tea had often sacrificed her portion of her money, putting it towards the fulfilment of that dream.

"Mom, can you bring me my strapless bra and a pair of underpants?" Tea called from the bathroom as she stepped out of the shower, unknowingly snapping her mother out of her trip down memory lane.

"Coming," Dianna called back, grabbing the said items as well as Tea's dressing gown, before heading down the stairs and into the bathroom.

Tea was finishing drying off when Dianna entered the room.

"Thank you," she stated as she hung the damp towel back on the rack and accepted her clothes from her mother. She dressed quickly and followed her mother back to her bedroom, taking a seat on the offered chair so that Dianna could do her makeup.

At that point, with just half an hour to go before seven, Tea could feel the excitement zipping through her body, making her constantly fidget and shift on the seat, which only served to agitate her mother.

"Sit still, Tea!" Dianna scolded her daughter for the hundredth time.

"Sorry."

Dianna paused as Tea's apology stirred a memory to life within her mind and she suddenly chuckled.

Tea looked to her mother, a curious look on her features, "What?" she queried.

"You just sounded exactly like I did to my mother when I was your age preparing for my Formal."

"Like mother, like daughter," Tea quipped, and the two girls laughed.

"Indeed," Dianna replied when they'd calmed down, "I'm almost done, just blusher and lipstick to do now. Can you raise your a little head for me?" Tea complied, "Perfect. Now hold still!"

Once done, Dianna retrieved the blow-dryer and attended to Tea's hair.

"There we go, all finished," Dianna declared as she stepped back minutes later after securing an ornate hairclip into Tea's locks.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again; you're an angel in disguise, Mom."

"As are you, Tea, as are you," Dianna smiled at her baby girl, "Do you need a hand to get in to your dress?"

"No, I can manage the rest on my own. Can you keep an eye out for Atem for me?" Tea glanced at the clock on her bedside table; 6:50, before adding "He'll probably be here in the next five minutes or so."

"Of course, darling," Dianna stated as she turned and left the room.

Tea fondly watched her mother as she went down the staircase, before she turned her attention back to her dress.

On a secondary thought, she turned on the radio. A man's crooning voice filtered into her room as she slowly and carefully eased the dress over her face so that her makeup didn't rub off.

~_These are the days we will remember_

_And these are the times that won't come again_

_The highest of flames becomes an ember_

_And you've got to live it while you can_~

At the bottom of the stairs, Dianna stopped and listened to the music coming from upstairs before knocking on the front door caught her attention.

Opening it, Dianna met the respectful gaze of Atem Motou.

"Good evening, Mrs Gardner," the young man greeted her.

"Good evening, Atem. Come in," she stepped aside for him to do so, "Tea won't be long."

"Thank-you."

The elder Gardner woman smiled as she watched Atem take a seat on the sofa to wait for his date.

Over the months that had passed since he'd introduced himself to her and asked for her permission to start courting Tea, Dianna had become quite fond of Atem.

She'd learned from a smitten Tea that he'd always shown nothing but the deepest respect towards the younger Gardner; championing, protecting and defending her from harm's way throughout their many adventures.

Dianna also knew, without a doubt, that she couldn't have asked for anything better in a partner for her baby girl then Atem Motou.

A door closing upstairs drew Dianna from her thoughts. And she and Atem both turned their attention to the stairwell as Tea appeared at the top.

TBC...

**Song's Used:**

"These Are The Days" by Keith Urban

**Author's Note's**

Well? What do you think?


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

I'm kinda ashamed to admit this, but right after I'd written the first chapter of _These Are The Days We Will Remember_, I lost interest in Yu-Gi-Oh and abandoned writing any more of this story.

Then, last year, I became the International Officer of our local branch of the CWA. And our country of study for this year? None other than Atem's homeland and the birthplace of Duel Monsters!

As I began working on my entry of the International Book competition, I started learning more about Egypt and in doing so, I also felt my interest for Yu-Gi-Oh slowly return

And so, three months ago I thought to myself; '_What the heck_' and I posted the first chapter.

The responses I've gotten have been _unbelievable_! All I can say is "Wow!" and "OMG!" I thought that nobody would want read another "Atem/Yami stays in the modern world and he and Tea realize their feelings for one another" fanfic.

Boy oh boy, was I wrong!

Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, favourite stories, story alerts and corrections that everyone's given me. It's stirred my love of Yu-Gi-Oh back to life.

All I can say is; keep 'em coming.

You all know the drill; _Yu-Gi Oh _doesn't belong to me.

On to the much anticipated Chapter 2.

**Chapter 2 – **_**These Are the Times That Won't Come Again; **_**Snapshots, Part I**

_**6:55 pm**_

At Tea's entrance, Atem rose to his feet, and as she came down the steps, he strode around the sofa to stand at the foot of the staircase, his eyes taking in her form as she descended.

The sleeveless dress was simple in its design, but on Tea's lithe frame, it had become breath-takingly eloquent.

The ruby red garment had three spaghetti straps resting on her slender shoulders, ending half way down her calves. The bodice of the dress was covered in a white sequinned floral pattern whilst the skirt remained plain. A red silk shawl around her shoulders and a sequinned purse in her hand completed the vision of beauty before him.

As Tea reached the bottom step, Atem stood to attention, his left arm tucked behind his back, and offered his right hand to her.

Smiling, Tea slid her hand into the once-Pharaoh's and he brought it to his lips, kissing it before he spoke in a reverent tone of voice, "You look absolutely gorgeous, Tea, like Hathor brought to life."

Tea could only blush at the potent complement; Atem ever only referred someone to the Ancient Egyptian Gods when he meant what he was saying, whether his words were tender or malicious, with his heart and soul, "You don't look to bad yourself."

Atem looked just as handsomely debonair in his chosen attire; a black tuxedo and dress shirt with a grey chequered vest in between, and topped off with a white silk tie.

"Why do I have the distinct impression that I'm going to be spending the majority of this evening keeping your fangirls away from you?" She couldn't help but admirably tease him.

Atem chuckled warmly in response, "Then perhaps these..." he revealed his left hand to her and Tea gasped when she saw what he was holding; a dozen red roses, "....will help fuel your peace-keeping efforts."

"Oh, they're just beautiful," Tea breathed in awe of the gift as she accepted the roses from Atem.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you," he replied softly, raising a hand to her face and brushing his knuckles across her cheek.

Tea could only blush in response before she stepped away from Atem.

"Mom?"

Dianna appeared in the kitchen doorway behind the couple, "I'm here, Tea."

Tea turned to face her mother, showing her the roses, "Have we got a vase or something to put these in?"

"I'll see what I can find for you."

As Dianna disappeared, Atem turned to Tea, "You're leaving them here?"

Tea didn't fail to notice the surprise in his tone of voice, nor the unvoiced question.

Raising soothing hand to her beau's cheek, she responded in a gentle tone, "I'll take one with me to the Formal, but I want to hang on to the rest of them for as long as I can, as a reminder of tonight."

Tea smiled when she felt Atem relax beneath her fingers.

"Here we are," Dianna reappeared with a white vase in hand.

Taking the bouquet from her daughter, Dianna walked over to the near-by table so that she could remove the plastic wrapping. Atem followed her, intent on helping, but stopped still when he heard the elder Gardner click her tongue at him.

Smilingly, Dianna looked over her shoulder at the young man, "I can do this, Atem. No need for you to soil your tux when you night's just starting. And if I may, you're looking very dashing tonight."

Tea approached Atem's side and slipped her hand into his, giving it a squeeze to silently echo her mother's words.

When she'd finished her task, Dianna turned to Atem with a single rose in her hand. The once-Pharaoh accepted the rose from Tea's mother, and had just opened his mouth to thank Dianna when a noise came from outside;

_Honk! Honk!_

Tea could only giggle, "Sound's like Mai's getting impatient."

Dianna scowled at her daughter's amusement, "She needs to learn some manners!"

"Mai's one of the committee members, Mom. She just wants to get to the venue to make sure that everything's in order!"

Dianna sighed at her daughter's sharp words, softening as she reminded herself that Tea's defence of her friends was an ingrained reaction for her baby girl, "That may be so, Tea. And I understand what she's going through, believe me. But that still doesn't mean that she should be so inconsiderate towards another couple's meet and greet time."

Tea smiled ruefully at her mother for her brusque behaviour, soothing away the tension between them.

Letting go of Tea's hand, Atem turned and presented the rose he was holding to his date before stepping away from the two women.

Standing to attention once again, he offered his arm to Tea, "Our chariot awaits us, my Queen."

With a smile and a deep blush, Tea slid her hand into the crook of his offered elbow.

Dianna watched the young couple for a moment, her memories of her own Formal stirring to life within her mind, before speaking up, "You two enjoy yourselves tonight and try not to stay out too long."

Tea smiled, and Atem nodded his head to Dianna in assurance in regards to her request, before the two turned and headed out the door.

Tea's voice could be heard as the door shut behind them, "Hey Joey! Hey Mai!"

Dianna sighed before turning and heading to the kitchen to cook dinner.

—o—o—o—o—o—o—

_**7:20 pm**_

"Thanks again for the ride Mai!" Tea told the elder girl as they turned into the car-park of their chosen venue; the Wicklow.

"Don't mention it, hon. You'll need to find another way home, though."

"I've got that covered." Atem responded as the car came to a stop, "Grandpa will pick us up when we're ready to go home."

"So, where's Gramps now?" Joey queried as the two boys hoped out of the car, walking around the automobile to open the door for their dates.

"He had to take Yugi across town to pick up Rebecca. They should be arriving back shortly."

Arm in arm with the girls, the two couples made their way across the car park and into the building.

Once inside, the sound of a camera taking pictures caught their attention. Following it, they found the professional photographer that the committee had hired situated in an alcove, not far from the ballroom where the Formal was to take place.

Already, half a dozen of their classmates had arrived and were mingling as they waited to have their photos taken.

"Come on, Wheeler," Mai suddenly tugged Joey towards the staircase.

"Shouldn't we be goin' towards the photographer, not away from him?" the young man queried his lavender dressed date.

"I just want to check that everything's alright while we're waiting for the rest of the gang to arrive, then we can do a group shot."

"Okay, okay. I'm comin', I'm comin!" Joey replied as he followed Mai up the stairs.

"Shall we?" Atem queried Tea when Joey and Mai had disappeared, inclining his head towards the photographer.

"You know, I think I like Mai's idea about a group shot."

Atem nodded his head in agreement, "Fair enough."

But any further conversation between them was cut off when a voice behind them called out, "Hey, Gardner!"

Tea tensed slightly as she recognized the voice, though she wished to the Gods that she didn't have to, and slowly turned to face the speaker.

And sure enough, there he was; dressed to the nines, hair slicked back and escorting one of her class-mates. Derek smiled charmingly at her when they locked gazes, "How was your shift this afternoon?"

Gritting her teeth to stop herself from firing a few choice words at the arrogant boy, Tea responded in a tight voice, "Just fine. Yours?"

Derek made a so-so gesture with his hand, like he'd been at work instead of God knows where, "Oh, you know, can't complain. Anyway, shall we, Belle?" he queried smoothly to his date and they moved off towards the photographer, Tea growling softly in their wake.

"Tea?" Atem touched her elbow to catch her attention, Tea calmed herself as she turned to look at him, but her anger towards Derek still lingered in her eyes, "Who was that?"

"Derek McDonald."

"Work-mate?"

"If you could call him that," she answered shortly.

At Tea's answer, Atem furrowed his brow.

It was common knowledge to all that knew her that Tea had no problems turning cross when she was defending Yugi and the others, but for her to be abrupt with her friends was completely unheard of, unthinkable almost. And it seemed that just as he was thinking that, Tea was as well, because she suddenly looked down, ashamed of her behaviour towards her champion, "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have..."

Tea felt Atem's fingers curl under her chin as he guided her to look at him, "It's alright," he soothed as he stroked her cheek with his thumb, "What happened?"

"Derek was scheduled to do the rest of my shift today. But, contrary to what he just said, he didn't turn up and-"

"You had to do the rest in his place," Atem finished for her, his eyes narrowing as outrage for what had been done to her flared to life inside of him, and the Eye of Horus appeared on his forehead.

But just as he had calmed her down, she would do the same for him, because she knew what he would do to Derek if she didn't.

Atem had never had any troubles in using his shadow powers in order to protect his friends and family from harm throughout their many adventures all those years ago, but in the peaceful years that had passed since his return, rare was the occurrence for him to do so.

But when things involved her, he had a hair-thin trigger of tolerance.

"Hey, it's okay. Thanks to Mom, I was ready to go in time." She spoke softly as she put a hand on his cheek, not failing to notice that Atem's eyes were still following Derek's retreating form, "And besides, tonight's supposed to be a celebration for all of us. And I'm not going to let a sourpuss like him ruin that. It's not worth it, just ignore him."

Atem settled down at Tea's words and the Eyes of Horus faded from sight, '_She's right, it's not worth it,_' he thought to himself as he covered Tea's hand with one of his own and returned his eyes to hers.

At the once-Pharaoh's relaxing stance, Tea let out a breath that she hadn't realized that she'd been holding. Smiling warmly in assurance, Atem rested his forehead against Tea's, his arms going around her waist as their eyes drifted shut. They remain that way until;

"Are you two tryin' to give yourselves a headache or somethin'?"

"Joseph!"

The sound of Mai smacking Joey's head met the couple's ears, followed shortly by Yugi's laughter.

"Already getting yourself into trouble Joey?" the younger Motou brother queried his friend as Tea and Atem opened their eyes and let go of one another.

"What can I say Yug'? It's a gift!" the brown eyed teen exclaimed as he took a exaggerated bow, and once more her earned his tri-colour haired friend's laughter.

Tea could only laugh at the boy's antics, and her giggle drew Yugi's attention to her and he blinked a couple of time, as if to check that the gorgeous young woman standing at his brother's side was really his childhood friend, "Wow, Tea! You look beautiful!"

"Thank-you, Yugi. I must say, you scrub up pretty nicely yourself!"

The two Motou brothers had dressed similarly, including their matching vests, but there were a few differences between them. Yugi had chosen opposite colours to Atem; his tux and shirt were white, his tie black.

Rebecca stood by Yugi's side, dressed in a soft periwinkle blue that highlighted the colour of her eyes.

"Good evening, Rebecca," Atem greeted his brother's date, and Joey, Mai and Tea echoed him.

"Hey guys," she returned their salutations.

"Great. Now just there's just Tristan and Serenity to come," Yugi announced.

"Yeah, an' dey should be here by now," Joey grumbled, ever protective of his baby sister.

"Don't worry, Joey," Tea pacified, "I'm sure they'll be here soon. And besides, if you think about it, she could have chosen worse."

"How do ya figure dat, Tea?"

"It could have been Kaiba escorting her."

In the wake of the brunette's answer, Joey stood frozen in place, silent and blinking repeatedly for a few moments before he finally spoke, "You know what? I never realized just how much I liked Tristan until this moment."

"Talkin' 'bout me, bro?" came the aforementioned young man's voice from behind the group and they turned to see Tristan and a pink clad Serenity arriving.

"Hey Tristan. Hey Serenity," Yugi greeted the last members of their group.

Once the last round of greetings had gone round, Tea suddenly piped up, "Guess I was right after all."

The group looked to her, baffled, "Right about what?" they queried simultaneously.

"You guys _do_ look handsome in your tuxes," Tea elaborated.

The four boys looked a picture. While Yugi and Atem had gone for personalised suits, Joey and Tristan had stuck with the standard ones.

"Thanks for the compliment Tea. Not only am I handsome, but I'm the luckiest guy in de whole world tonight!" Joey declared as he wrapped his arms around Mai.

"You? Handsome? You're delusional, bro. _I'm_ the luckiest guy here," Tristan butted in.

Joey growled indignantly, "Why you!"

"Guys, guys! There's no need to fight!" Yugi exclaimed, quickly putting himself in between his bickering friends.

"Yugi is right; there is no need to get into fight this evening. We're supposed to be celebrating," Atem added his voice to the situation, "And in regards to your statement, Joey, I believe that every young man that will be here this evening feels the same way about their respective dates," as he finished speaking Atem looked at Tea, his loving gaze silently voicing Joey's words to her, before offering an arm to his date, "Shall we?"

Tea smiled her acceptance as she slipped her arm into his as they moved off

"Alrigh'! Let's get dis party started!" Joey crowed from behind them as the group turned and followed Atem and Tea.

But the silence that the eight friends had fallen into was suddenly broken by laughter, and curious to see what had earned her friends mirth, Tea looked over her shoulder and immediately spotted the cause; Joey.

He and Mai had fallen in behind she and Atem, and Joey was mimicking Atem's stance.

Or at least, trying to.

He was over doing it, and if the laughter coming from Tristan and Yugi was any indication, he was failing miserably at imitating Atem's manner. After a few moments of watching, Tea couldn't help but to begin laughing as well.

And on hearing Tea's laughter, the last person he'd expected to do so, Joey looked wounded, "Not you too, Tea!"

"No offence meant, Joey, but I think you might want to leave the nobleman's air to Atem."

"I suppose yer righ'," Joey admitted, dropping his stance as the group came to a stop in the line-up.

Tea giggled before a gentle hand on her arm turned her attention back to a curious faced Atem.

"What's the matter Pharaoh?" she queried.

"I have an air?" he seemed uncertain as to how to take what he'd just heard.

"You do. I guess it's because of your upbringing in Ancient Egypt."

"How so?"

"Because in this day and age, old-fashioned chivalry is a dying art. Old-fashioned champions like you are extremely rare."

"So that's why I was pursued so adamantly during the first six months of my return?"

"Pretty much. Guys like you are a real catch. And lucky for me, you're all mine," at her last words, Tea curled her arms around one of his and rested her head against his shoulder.

Atem smiled warmly at the woman that he loved before closing his eyes and resting his cheek against her hair, "Indeed."

Their tender moment was broken a few minutes later by the photographer's voice, "Who's next?"

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:**

Man, I am on a roll now. I can't believe how much inspiration has poured into me since I posted the last chapter!

Again, thanks for the all the reviews.

And you all know the drill; Yu-Gi-Oh doesn't belong to me.

**Chapter 3 - Snapshots, Part II**

_**7:50 pm**_

"Hey guys! Over here!" Tea called out, waving an arm over her head to catch her friend's attention.

Upon entering the ballroom after having their photos taken, she, Atem, Yugi, Rebecca, Tristan and Serenity had split up in order to find out where their table was situated. And they weren't the only ones, by now the majority of the class had arrived and were either milling about down stairs or up here searching for their seats.

Mai and Joey had remained downstairs so that Mai could do a head count.

They'd just sat down in their respective seats as the aforementioned couple appeared in the ballroom and upon spotting where the gang were, made a beeline for them.

"What's the head count?" Tea queried the elder girl as she took a seat opposite the brunette.

"Everyone's accounted for. Once they find their seats we can get this show on the road!"

"It's chow time!" Joey rubbed his hands together, giggling excitedly as he grabbed the menu to see what they'd be dining on, earning his friend's collective laughter at his familiar food-based enthusiasm.

—o—o—o—o—o—o—

_**8:30 pm**_

"Mmm-mmm, yummy!" Joey crowed as he finished his meal; an inch thick filet of sirloin steak with vegetables, "Bet you're wishin' you had the steak now, huh, Tea?"

When dinner had been served to their table by the waiters, Tea had swapped plates with Atem, preferring the second dinner option; couscous stuffed chicken breast with a cheesy sauce, to the sirloin filet, "I'm happy with the chicken, thanks, Joey."

"Alrigh' then, it's your loss."

"Can I have everyone's attention please? I'd like to say a few words to you all before desert is served." Mrs Takashi called out over the buzz of conversation from the podium and a hush stole over the room, broken only by the clinking of cutlery from the few students who were still finishing off their meals, while the rest looked to their principal, "It gives me great pride to see you all here tonight as you celebrate the completion of your schooling days. I know I speak on behalf of all your teachers when I say you will all be missed when you leave the halls of Domino High and step out into the world..."

"Can I say it? We'll miss you too, Mrs T!" Joey called out and a ripple of laughter passed through the room.

Mrs Takashi chuckled, "I expected nothing less from you, Mr Wheeler. It seems like only yesterday that you, your friends and all your other class-mates arrived as freshmen at Domino High. Over the years we have witnessed you all blossom into young adults, watched with pride as you earned a name for yourselves in your chosen art, whether that be in Duel Monsters, dancing," Mrs Takashi looked to the gang's table with a proud smile before continuing on, "Maths, English, drama or on the sports field. The next challenge you'll face will be, by far, the most challenging; finding you place in the world. For some of you, this path has already been illuminated, and the attainment of your dreams rides on you exam results."

'_No pressure there, Mrs T,_' Tea wryly mused to herself as Atem squeezed their entwined hands, '_But you're right. Some of us have found our post-school paths. Together,_'

As her eyes met Atem's, a memory stirred to life in Tea's mind in response to her thoughts.

_It was a rainy day in Domino._

_As was tradition on such days, the gang had flocked to the Kame Game shop to hang out until the weather passed. Yugi, Joey and Tristan were in the lounge room playing Duel Monsters while Atem and Tea were curled up together on a beanbag in Atem's room._

_The once-Pharaoh was looking over some new Duel Monsters cards he'd bought while Tea rested, using his stomach as a pillow._

_After a while Tea spoke up, "I'm going to miss all of this when I move to New York."_

_At her words, though unseen to Tea because she still had her eyes closed, Atem furrowed his brow._

"_I just hope we can make a long-distance relationship work."_

"_Long-distance?" Atem parroted before gently nudging Tea, silently asking her to sit up and she complied._

_Atem followed suit and tenderly cupped her cheek, "Surely you know that I intend to come with you to America?"_

"_Come with me? But what about all the training Mr Motou's been giving you?"_

"_What about it?"_

"_Aren't you and Yugi going to take over running the shop from him once you've finished school?"_

"_Yugi is, yes. But I have always planned to go with you when you left Domino. After all, I vowed that I would always be by your side didn't I? The training that I've been receiving from Grandpa is so that I'll be able to find a job when we arrive in New York."_

_At Atem's words, Tea teared up and flung herself into his waiting arms. _

"_Thank-you," she whispered and he smiled in response before leaning in for a kiss._

_But what had started as a fleeting peck quickly evolved to a passion fuelled embrace, and Tea soon felt herself being lowered onto the beanbag. She had just slipped her hands under Atem's grey sleeveless Tee, intent on stripping it off of him when;_

"_Hey Atem!" Yugi burst into the room._

Needless to say, once he'd realized what he was interrupting, Yugi had departed just as quickly as he'd come.

Tea smiled to herself as she returned her attention back to Mrs Takashi's speech, "For others, you will have to find your way as you go. It will not be easy, but with faith in yourselves and encouragement from your friends and family, I and the other teachers have no doubt that you will succeed and wish you all the best of luck. And on that note, I'll step down and let all of you enjoy the rest of your evening," as Mrs Takashi returned to her seat, her students stood up and began to applaud her, calling out words of thanks as she passed.

When the din had died down and everyone had returned to their seats, Tea took a look at the menu, "Now let's see what's for sweets. No way! Tiramisu!" she enthused.

The Italian cake was, by far, her favourite desert.

"An' I thought I was excited by food," Joey quipped at Tea manner.

"Liking something is a far cry from being fanatic about it, Joey" Tea deadpanned, stopping Joey's next ribbing in its tracks as the waiters appeared in the room.

—o—o—o—o—o—o—

_**9:00 pm**_

"Can I have everyone's attention, please?" Mai called out from the podium, "It's time for the first dance of the night. So can everyone please make their way onto the dance floor, thank-you."

When the Formal committee had been formed, expectedly there had been a lot of disagreements among its members, but there had been one thing that they'd all agreed on from the get-go: making the first dance of the night the waltz.

Arm in arm, Atem and Tea, Yugi and Rebecca, Tristan and Serenity rose from their seats and made their way to the floor while Joey went to retrieve Mai before joining the others.

As the chosen song for the dance started to play, the couples took the waltz stance and began to dance.

As they moved, Atem ran through the steps in his mind, '_Left foot forward, side right, close with the right foot, change weight, right foot forward, side left, close with the right foot and change weight again. 1,2,3. 1,2,3._'

"Looks like you're quite the dancer, Pharaoh," Tea commented after a while.

Atem merely smiled at her and they continued to dance in silence.

But then Derek's voice cut through the cosy atmosphere.

"Hey, Motou!" he sneered, "Looks like your dancing lessons have really paid off!"

Atem immediately jacked up and he began to shake with repressed rage as he fought the desire to mind crush the self-centred boy. Tea, recognising what was going on in his mind, immediately stepped closer to him and curled her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek to his before speaking softly into his ear, "Hey, hey. It's alright. Let it go."

"How can I do so when he continues to say such vulgar things?" he replied through clenched teeth.

"Because he _wants_ you to rise, to take a swipe at hi-"

"I'll take more than a _swipe_!" Atem bit out.

"I know, and as much as want to let you and your shadow powers loose on him, you'd only be playing into his hands by doing so. He _wants_ you to make a spectacle of yourself. I know it's getting harder to do so, but ignore him. He's not worth the trouble." At her soothing words, Atem slowly exhaled, and as Tea giggled as his breath tickled her ear, he felt his anger leave his body and he nuzzled Tea's neck in thanks.

As Atem cooled down, Joey, who had overheard Derek's sneer, came to his friend's defence, "Hey, McDonald!"

"Yeah, Wheeler?"

"Shut yer trap or I'll shut it for ya!"

"Oh, yeah? I'd like to see you try!"

Joey broke away from Mai, "Gladly!" he replied, clenching his fists, more than ready to trounce the guy for smart-mouthing his friends,

"Joey, stop!" Tea called out and the dirty blonde haired boy complied, "Just let it go. It's not worth worrying over."

At his friend's pleas, Joey returned to Mai's side and resumed their dance, nodding to Tea as he went.

"And as for you, Derek. You're one to talk! Word is that you paid thousands for _your_ dance lessons over the past couple of weeks."

That stopped Derek in his tracks, "H-how did y-"

"How I know is irrelevant. What _is_, however, is that we're all trying to enjoy tonight's celebrations, and you're ruining it for everyone with all of your rude and insensitive comments. So unless you've got something nice to say, keep your mouth shut and your thoughts to yourself, understand?" At the end of Tea's speech the whole flour erupted in applause for her gutsy stand, and for her part, Tea could only blush in response.

When the din had died down and everyone had started to waltz again, Tea looked to Atem.

"Dancing lessons?" she softly queried him.

Atem took a breath and began to explain, "You are the best dancer in our year, Tea. I had no desire to let you down or to disappoint y-"

Tea placed a hand to his lips, shushing him, "You could never disappoint me, Atem, not in a thousand millennia. Surely you know that?"

Atem smiled ruefully for so little faith, "I do now."

The couple rested their heads together before sharing a tender kiss, Derek's interruption forgotten.

The rest of the song passed in peace and as the dance came to close everyone stopped and applauded. After the applause had died down, a new song began to play and most couples began to leave the dance floor.

But as Tea went to follow Joey and Mai, Atem gently gripped her arm, stopping her. Confused, she turned to look at him, "Atem?"

"I believe this song is most appropriate for a slow dance?"

Tea smiled warmly at the invitation and she curled her arms around Atem's neck and nestled her head into his chest.

~_You're a falling star, you're the getaway car  
You're the line in the sand when I go too far  
You're the swimming pool, on an August day  
And you're the perfect thing to say_~

Atem took in a content breath as he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his cheek against her hair as they began to slowly rotate on the spot, listening to the music as they savoured each other's company.

~_And you play it coy but it's kinda cute  
Ah, when you smile at me you know exactly what you do  
Baby don't pretend that you don't know it's true  
'cause you can see it when I look at you_

_And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times  
It's you, it's you, you make me sing.  
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything._

You're a carousel, you're a wishing well,  
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.  
You're a mystery, you're from outer space,  
You're every minute of my everyday.

And I can't believe, uh that I'm your man,  
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.  
Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through,  
And you know that's what our love can do.

And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times  
It's you, it's you, you make me sing.  
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.

So, la, la, la, la, la, la, la  
So, la, la, la, la, la, la, la~  
  
As the song finished, Tea and Atem shared a kiss before turning and heading back to their table, hand in hand.

—o—o—o—o—o—o—

_**10:00 pm**_

"It's going to be so different once school ends," Yugi commented to no one in particular.

The boys were currently seated around their table, watching the girls as they boogied on the dance floor.

"How so, Yug'?" Joey queried his best friend.

"Apart from the obvious," Tristan finished.

"We've been together for five years, faced so much as a group. Now, in a matter of months, two of us are bound for distant shores and the rest don't know where our paths may lead us."

Atem picked up on what was bothering his former vessel, for though they had their own bodies now, their spiritual bond still existed, though it was not as strong as it had been whilst he had been the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, "We may be separating physically, Yugi, but nothing will break our group's spiritual bond, especially one as strong as the one the five of us have."

"Atem's right, we'll never truly be apart as long as our bond exists, it's helped keep us together in the past and it'll do it again now" Tristan stated.

"Yeah, an' it's not like Atem and Tea are dropping off the face of the earth. Dey'll keep in touch wit us," Joey added.

"You guys are right. I guess I was being a little silly!" Yugi apologised, looking down at his hands.

Tristan dismissed what Yugi had just said with a wave of his hand "Don't you think that the same thought hasn't crossed my mind? Or Mr Stuffing-His-Face over there?" At his bud's comments Joey, who at that moment had his mouth full from a Fortune Cookie that had been delivered to the table as a post-desert treat, glowered at Tristan, "Or Atem and Tea? We're **all** still coming to grips with the fact that our schooling days coming to an end. But we'll still keep in touch with one another."

"Indeed," Atem agreed.

"Like I said, I was being silly," Yugi laughed as he ran a hand through his spiky locks.

Their current discussion resolved, the boys looked to the dance floor as a new upbeat song began to play, and they heard some of the dancers shriek; "No way! NUTBUSH!"

And Atem could have sworn that Tea's voice had been one of them.

His thought was proved correct moments later when Tea appeared from the crowd that was rapidly pouring onto the dance floor and came rushing towards the gang's table, excitement lighting up her eyes, "Atem, you've got to come and dance!"

Atem looked to the dance floor, "I'm not familiar with this dance."

Tea blinked a couple times, "You don't know the Nutbush? Everyone knows the Nutbush!"

"Everyone except a five thousand year old Pharaoh," he reminded her.

Tea's eyes widened, "Would believe me if I said that I'd forgotten about the whole once-Pharaoh thing?" she queried with a nervous laugh.

Atem chuckled sincerely, "I'd take it as a compliment. And because I don't know the steps to this Nutbush dance, perhaps you'd like to teach me?"

"I'd love to. Come on, jacket off."

Atem got to his feet, shed his jacket and followed his girlfriend onto the edge of the dance floor.

Once there Tea turned to him, "The steps are pretty easy to learn, just follow me." As she spoke, she began demonstrate the steps, "First step; you point your right foot to the side, then bring them back together and repeat. Second step; repeat the first step with your left foot. Third step; you point right foot behind, then bring them back together and repeat. Fourth step; repeat third step with you left foot. Fifth step; you lift your right knee across your body, then bring it back down and repeat. Sixth step; repeat fifth step with your left leg. Seventh step; Kick your right you right leg across you body, then kick your left across. Eighth and final step; you have to jump four times, first jump you land with your feet apart, second jump you cross your legs, third jump you rotate ninety degree's right and land with your feet apart, fourth jump you bring your feet back together and start the steps all over again."

Atem tilted his head to the side in a gesture of curiosity, "It looks simple enough."

"It is. And if you get lost, just look to the person in front of you to find your place. But once you've been through a few rotations you should get it down-pact. Shall we?"

Atem nodded his head and they joined the grid of dancers. And true to her word, it took Atem three rotations before he was moving through the steps with confidence. Grinning at Tea, he began to relax and enjoy performing the energetic dance with her.

When the song came to an end, all of the dancers let out a cheer before filing off of the dance floor.

"Would you like something to drink?" Atem queried Tea as they returned to their table.

"I'd love one."

"Orange juice?"

"Please."

Atem nodded and headed towards the bar as Tea took a seat next to Yugi.

"Great dancing out there, Tea, you and Atem really carved up the dance floor!" Yugi enthused.

Tea blushed at the compliment, "Thanks, Yugi. But the Nutbush is a pretty simple dance, anyone can do it."

"Yeah, but no one can do it with as much style, grace and passion like you do!"

"Guess that's because of my love of dancing."

Tea turned when she heard Atem approach the table with two glasses of OJ in hand, "Your drink, my Queen,"

"Thank-you," she stated to her beau as he gave her glass to her before taking a seat beside her.

"You know, Atem, you really gotta stop doin' that," Joey spoke up.

"Stop what?"

"All that Milady stuff you're doing, you're making the rest of us look bad!"

"You mean to those of us who _actually_ compliment our dates?" Tristan queried.

"I compliment Mai!" Joey blustered.

"Are you sure they're compliments?" Tristan responded smugly.

"Why I oughta-"

"Guy, guys. No fighting tonight, remember?" Yugi queried.

"Sorry, Yug'," the two boys apologized.

—o—o—o—o—o—o—

_**11:15 pm**_

Atem sat, alone, at the gang's table watching Tea as she danced with her peers on the dance floor, and he let out a content breath. Tonight had been a most enjoyable evening for all. Before long, the current song came to an end, and a beaming Tea made her way back over to the table and sat on her boyfriend's lap.

"Hey," she whispered in greeting.

"Hey," he whispered back before they kissed.

When they surfaced for air Tea curled her arms around his waist and rested her head against his shoulder. Sensing that she was fighting sleep, Atem began to stroke her back in a soothing fashion until she had given up the fight and drifted off, relaxing into his embrace.

—o—o—o—o—o—o—

_**11:30 pm**_

"Looks like you two are more than ready to go home," Yugi whispered as he approached his elder sibling.

"We are," Atem responded just as softly so that he didn't wake an exhausted Tea.

"I'll go and call Grandpa," the younger Motou brother turned and strode from the room, Rebecca on his heels.

After Yugi had departed, Atem started to rise being careful not to wake Tea, but to no avail because as soon as he was on his feet, she stirred, blinking up at him a couple of times before whispering, "What's the time?"

"It's 11:30. Yugi's just gone outside to call Grandpa."

Atem gently set Tea back on her feet, draped his jacket over her shoulders before collecting her purse and shawl from the table.

"You're too good to me," Tea whispered as Atem returned to her side.

"I'm just treating you as you should be treated, Milady."

"Spoiling me, more like it."

Atem chuckled in response as he looped an arm around her waist, "Ready?"

"Mmm-hmmm," she hummed, resting her head against his shoulder once more as they moved off, saying their good-byes as they went.

TBC...

**Songs Used:**

"Everything" by Michael Buble

**Author's Notes:**

Just so you know, that little memory flashback of Tea's was inspired by a fanart piece; Rainy Day by Kitty cat angel. Albeit, said picture does depict Yugi and Tea curled up together, all I did was change little Motou to big Motou.

Anyway, ONLY ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO!


End file.
